Baptism=Putting on the full armor of God.

 

Sermon for Trinity 7, July 19, 2026

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-18  ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil.  ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  ¹³For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand.  ¹⁴Stand, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, ¹⁵and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals.  ¹⁶At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.  ¹⁷Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  ¹⁸At every opportunity, pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and petition.  Stay alert for the same reason, always persevering in your intercession for all the saints. (EHV)

Baptism=Putting on the full armor of God.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Imagine yourself going into battle against the forces of a modern superpower such as the United States, China, or Russia, with all its soldiers, tanks, heat-seeking missiles, armor penetrating bullets, and even atomic weapons at its disposal, but the only weapon in your hand is a tennis racket.  Just one basically unarmed person against thousands of soldiers equipped with all the powerful, laser-focused modern weapons.  It doesn’t seem like a fair fight at all, does it?

A teenage boy once entered such a battle.  King Saul finally relented and allowed young David to go up, nearly unarmed, against the most fearsome military weapon of their time.  To the Israelites looking on, it seemed like a total mismatch.  Most of them likely didn’t even see that David carried a sling.  However, David wasn’t unarmed, but rather, Goliath was the one without any protection.  You see, David was armed with faith in the Almighty God, and he possessed the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit.  It was a complete mismatch, but in David’s favor, and Goliath fell dead at his feet.

You and I don’t have to fight nine or ten-foot-tall giants, but we do face many extremely powerful enemies determined to destroy us, along with our children and all the rest of the people we love.  We face forces of evil that are intent on separating us from the love of God and keeping us enslaved under the control of the devil and his allies.  Indeed, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  The prince of this world, the devil, seems to have all the advantage.  However, we are not left defenseless because God blesses us in the spiritual realms with Baptism=Putting on the full armor of God.

When Paul wrote this letter, the picture of a Roman soldier fully equipped for battle was a common site, and every person would have immediately recognized the picture.  However, in those ancient times, everyone understood that in a battle, women and children would be totally defenseless if the soldiers protecting them should fall.  You and I, on the other hand, are given defenses that work for anyone who believes.  Baptism equips every person on whom God puts His name with equal status in the battle.  We don’t have to rely on our strength or ability to reason or fight.  Just like David against Goliath, it is the Almighty God of Israel who has conquered our foes.

Paul wrote, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil.”  Apart from the promises of God’s Word, we have no way to resist the devil with his lies and accusations.  Without faith in Christ Jesus, what defense could we raise when the devil calls us liars, thieves, and murderers?  All of us, in one way or another, have violated every commandment Almighty God has given.  We all have lusted after things or people that are not ours.  We all have questioned the earthly authorities put in power over us: our parents, grandparents, police, and political rulers.  I dare say we all have even questioned God.

If we should be left to stand on our own, who among men could withstand those flaming arrows aimed directly into our hearts?  Without a defender, we would have much less chance than the soldiers of Custer’s last stand.  Every accusation against us would send us straight to hell.  Every baby born into this world would be destined to the fires of eternal torment. 

But oh, what great joy is ours!  Our Savior has not left us defenseless.  When Jesus instituted baptism, He was giving us a gift of immeasurable worth, for in baptism our Lord dresses us in His perfect holiness and obedience to God’s will.  In baptism, the Holy Spirit shields our hearts from all accusations because Jesus paid the full and lasting penalty of death for all our sins, and in the water and Word of baptism, He washes us clean.  In baptism, God the Father puts His name, His seal of ownership, on the head of every child (whatever the age) upon which the water and Word of God’s grace is poured.  In baptism, God dresses us from head to toe in everything we need so that the devil can have no power over us.  In fact, in baptism, God credits us with the righteousness Jesus lived.  Thus, Baptism=Putting on the full armor of God.

Now, if you can imagine a Roman soldier dressing his young child in the armor of a soldier, we could all understand that as that child grew, he would need to keep rearming and updating his equipment for the day at hand.  Likewise, we too value the training that education in God’s Word gives.  The faithful Christian parent doesn’t stop with baptism alone, but shares the truths of Scripture so that the children also know the gift of God’s love and the sacrifice Jesus made to make His little ones holy in God’s eyes.  We keep that training and instruction going, not just until confirmation, but on throughout the child’s life, and even when they reach adulthood and our control seemingly disappears into the ether, we keep pleading and praying that God would continue to watch over the children and defend them from Satan’s deceptions and lies.

Likewise, every soldier going out to battle was continually diligent in keeping his equipment in top condition so that he would always be perfectly prepared to confront the enemy for his king.  Now, connect that with our spiritual life.  We too need to keep our armor in tip-top shape.  Not that we can do anything to improve God’s Word or promise, but we need to continue in His Word on a daily and weekly basis to remail fully prepared for the battles we face while we study “the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15)

In that daily preparation, we return again and again to our baptisms.  That is what repentance is, a turning away from the distractions and evils of this world to trusting again in all God has given us.  At every worship service, we stand before the Lord and plead for His forgiveness and mercy.  We confess our sins in humble remorse for our failures.  Yet, that is hardly the end of the story.  For in every true repentance there is faith in God’s forgiveness, for His Son Jesus lived and died on our behalf.  And then we rejoice, knowing and hearing again and again of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave which signifies that His sacrifice really, truly did the job God had assigned to it which was to wipe away our guilt and bring us into the freedom of forgiveness and eternal peace with our Creator and God. 

Then, properly dressed for battle, “With the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals,” we can go boldly forth to face the world, confident in the forgiveness Christ has won for us, and rejoicing for the life the Holy Spirit has poured into us, ready to tell the demons they can have no power over us, and to share with friend and neighbor and sometimes enemies, the truth of all God has done for us and for them. 

Dear friends, so many people confuse church and religion as being some tedious duty that defies understanding or any reason to be involved.  Those troubled souls are stuck in the devil’s lies.  The only thing that can rescue them from that darkness is the Light of Jesus Christ.  We can preach law at them, and sometimes we must do so, but whenever a person is troubled by the trials and torments of this cruel world and the guilt that so surrounds us daily, the time is right to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its power and glory.  We don’t have to stand on soapboxes and obnoxiously condemn our neighbors.  We need rather, to bring to them the milk of God’s Word so that even more of those whom God loved through the sacrifice of His Son may hear the testimony that brings life.

Sometimes, it may seem like there is nothing we can do to control the evil in this world, and nothing we can do when we are rejected and perhaps even cursed and despised for walking with Jesus.  It is at all those times, and really every other circumstance, as well, that we again give heed to Paul’s instruction, “At every opportunity, pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and petition.  Stay alert for the same reason, always persevering in your intercession for all the saints.”  We pray for friends and neighbors.  We pray for each other.  We give thanks to God for the forgiveness and life He brings, and pray for His protection, strength, and guidance.  We pray that God would give us opportunities to share His Word and baptism with many other hurting souls.  And again, we thank God that Baptism=Putting on the full armor of God.  Amen.

God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen.

Baptism empowers living a new life.

 

Sermon for Trinity 6, July 12, 2026

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—to whom be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Romans 6:3-11  ³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  ⁴We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.  ⁵For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.  ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him, to make our sinful body powerless, so that we would not continue to serve sin.  ⁷For the person who has died has been declared free from sin.  ⁸And since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  ⁹We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he will never die again.  Death no longer has control over him.  ¹⁰For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.  ¹¹In the same way also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (EHV)

Baptism empowers living a new life.

Dear friends in Christ,

            It all seems so counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  Being buried with someone is a good thing?  Being crucified will set us free?  Having died with Christ, we will live?  How can this be?

            St. Paul is responding to ideas that the Gospel will encourage immorality because it removes the threat of the Law.  What was misunderstood is that the law doesn’t actually instill good or faithful behavior.  Rather, the fear of condemnation, at best, results in only reluctant obedience rather than truly godly living.  For the Christian, however, it is not fear of condemnation that motivates the lifestyle we intend to live.  Instead, Paul explains, Baptism empowers living a new life.

Paul first addresses the consequences of sin.  He wrote, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death.”  The condemnation of the law is what put Jesus on the cross.  He was punished in that cruel way because of our sin and the sins of the world.  Because we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), Jesus paid the penalty of death required by the law for the world.  This is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for us.  Though we deserved only death and eternal separation from God, His Son Jesus brought us back into peace with God.

You see, sin had always separated us from our God and Lord.  Inherited sin caused us to be eternally antagonistic toward God.  If not for God’s intervention, we would have no hope.  However, God sent Jesus to end that separation that had condemned us and the whole world.  For us, Jesus paid the full penalty required to set us free from the curse of sin, which is death.  Then, in further demonstration of God’s love for us, baptism is the way God has connected us with Christ.  Being baptized into Christ, we are no longer separated from God, either in life or death, because His death now covers us. 

At the same time, being now connected with Jesus in baptism, we are no longer dead to God.  The apostle wrote, “We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.  For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.”  This is the most important sentence in human history.  Though Jesus died for the sins of the world, though He died on that cross as a consequence for all of our guilt, Jesus didn’t stay dead.  The Father in heaven has accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as the acceptable conclusion of our rebellious ways, for with all sin put on Jesus, we are counted clean of any guilt.

Before He went to the cross to suffer and die for you and me, Jesus told His disciples, “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.  This is the commission I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)  From the very beginning of time, it was God’s plan to rescue us from the dark ways the devil led mankind astray.  We had inherited a sinful nature from our parents.  We couldn’t fix the problem.  Worse yet, that sinful nature controlled our every thought, feeling, and action.  Satan had us by the throat and his accusations against us weighed us down with hopelessness and shame. 

However, when Jesus rose from the grave alive again on Easter morning, this message could ring out cross the world: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)  True life was now restored in Jesus, and in baptism we are freed from the devil’s control while being connected to Christ, through whom Baptism empowers living a new life. 

The shame and hopelessness of our inherited sinful nature has been lifted from us.  Paul wrote, “We know that our old self was crucified with him, to make our sinful body powerless, so that we would not continue to serve sin.”  We know this only because the Holy Spirit has granted this knowledge to us through the power of His Word and baptism.  We also know that while we remain in this world, we still drag around the corpse of our old sinful nature, though that old nature has lost its power. 

Because Baptism empowers living a new life, no longer does our old nature control us.  Paul’s point is to ask why we would want to return to serving the dead things of the devil who will spend eternity in a prison prepared only for him and his followers?  No right thinking person would be willing to do that, “For the person who has died has been declared free from sin.  And since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”  In gratitude for having been set free from sin and death, the new man in us rejoices to walk in harmony with our Savior who is always living in holiness.  Because Christ has been raised from the dead and restored to His Father’s side in heaven, we too walk in the assurance of His promise, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)  Connected to Jesus through baptism, we possess eternal life right now.  Yet, we wait for its ultimate fulfillment on Judgment Day.

“We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he will never die again.  Death no longer has control over him.”  Realize the ramifications of this statement.  Death has no control over Jesus.  Sin can never touch Jesus again.  He took ours upon Himself on the cross, and paid the ransom to set us free with His blood.  But never again.  The devil can no longer accuse.  Death’s threat has been destroyed by the open tomb on Easter morning.  That is the sure and certain proof that Jesus lives and His promise to us is most certainly true as well.

Through the washing and Word of baptism, we were cleansed of our sin and connected with Christ Jesus.  In this, we are also connected with the righteousness He lives.  As God has restored Jesus to life and placed all things under His authority, Jesus continues to live in perfect harmony with His Father’s will just as He did while walking this earth on our behalf.  Nothing about Jesus’ righteousness has changed, except that now we too walk in His holiness.  His Spirit then empowers us to resist the temptations of the devil, the world, and even our own sinful self, and when we stumble and fall, to repent of our weaknesses and return to His care.  Paul wrote, “For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.  In the same way also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Dear friends, this is the admonition of the Holy Spirit that we live our lives here on earth for the Savior who gave His life so that we might live.  Jesus once told His disciples, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)  We live in farm country, so you all are well familiar with what a plant can produce if uprooted from the soil, or how much fruit a branch will bear if cut off from the main stem.  It all just withers and dies, producing nothing but fuel for a fire.  On the other hand, in our baptismal connection with Jesus, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Yes, that is why baptism is so life giving.  It connects us, who once were dead and useful only as fodder for the fires of hell, with the Living One who will never die again.  In Jesus, we are connected with the Son of God through whom all living things were given physical life.  He is the source of our spiritual life, and it is His everlasting life pulsing into us through the connection formed between Him and us in baptism that grants us life and empowers us to live more holy lives while here on earth. 

Dear friends, having been restored to eternal life in our baptisms, we are now enlivened and empowered to serve Him who rescued us from the dead.  We now live, not out of fear of punishment, but out of gratitude and true faith in the Savior who redeemed us and restored us to the realm of the truly living.  Then also, whenever you may stumble or fall short of the glory of God, return in repentance to the grace of baptism and receive again that life-giving power.  Therefore, rejoice now and for the rest of your life because Baptism empowers living a new life.  Amen.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, both soul and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  Amen.

Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

 

Sermon for Trinity 5, July 5, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Amen.

Mark 16:16  ¹⁶ “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (EHV)

Acts 2:38-39  ³⁸Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call. (EHV)

Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Whenever we have confirmations, it can be tempting to imagine that the confirmands are renewing vows they made at their baptisms.  Yet, in reality, it is God who made a promise to them, and the confirmands are confirming their faith in His promise and forgiveness.  This morning, we look at the blessings of Baptism, and we say that Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

In our Gospel text, St. Mark reveals Jesus’ promise that “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”  It is easy for the human nature to imagine (and throughout history many have taught) that this is a condition Jesus lays on the believer—that he must somehow come to faith and then be baptized in order to be saved.  However, other Scriptures make it clear that no one can come to believe in Jesus by his own power or effort.  Furthermore, it is only by God’s grace and election that any of us are brought into the Christian faith.

On the day of the first Pentecost of the Christian Church when God sent His Holy Spirit upon His apostles with flames of fire on their heads and the ability to speak in a multitude of languages, Peter preached law to a large crowd of Jewish believers at the temple in Jerusalem, and his preaching brought terror to their hearts for what they had done to Jesus in His crucifixion.  Those guilt-stricken men begged Jesus’ apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do? (Acts 2:37)

Now, Peter’s answer sounds like he is giving instruction for the task at hand.  In contrast, however, he is inviting them to enter God’s mercy.  Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  The command to repent is an invitation to turn around from trying to receive salvation through one’s own effort or goodness.  God is telling the sinner to change his mind, to give up on himself, and to trust in God’s mercy and kindness for the lost soul. 

This repentance doesn’t come to anyone naturally.  With our sinful nature, we are fully inclined to reject the accusation of sin, and to imagine ourselves less wicked and rebellious than we are.  This is why the Scriptures say that “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)  This too is a gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, that He makes us aware that we need a Savior and empowers us to reach for Jesus to pull us up out of the muck and mire of sin.  When the reality of our guilt is revealed to us by the law, it finally drives us to despair of any goodness in ourselves.  Thus, the Spirit has us prepared to receive the grace of God that brings us faith in Jesus.

Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, but to refresh our memories, we again hear Jesus say to that man, “Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God!  Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.  Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)  Jesus instructed Nicodemus concerning entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Born of the flesh of our parents, we naturally inherit a sinful nature deserving condemnation.  Consequently, to enter into the glorious grace of heaven, we must be born from above.  This rebirth happens in Baptism. 

It is hard to imagine a greater gift of the Holy Spirit than to be reborn from above.  It is God the Holy Spirit giving new life to the formerly dead sinner and connecting that newborn with God through faith in Christ Jesus.  Recognizing God’s mercy in Baptism, we understand that many blessings are given through that marvelous work of the Holy Spirit.  In Baptism, God grants citizenship in His heavenly kingdom.  He gives forgiveness of sins for Jesus’ sake.  He grants to the believer life that does not end with physical death, and through the power of His Word, God gives us real comfort and a sure hope to carry us through any trial, struggle, hardship, loss, or pain.  Indeed, Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul lamented his inability to live without sin, but he took comfort in the fact of forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus’ life and especially by His death on the cross, our sins were removed from us, and the just penalty for our guilt was paid for with the sacrifice Jesus made.  Then, in Baptism, we are cleansed of all our guilt, so that the psalmist could exult, “Yes, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so powerful is his mercy toward those who fear him.  As distant as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)  This led St. Paul to write in consideration of this divine cleansing of our souls, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

As you may well have experienced, there are many in this world who imagine that the gifts of the Spirit here promised are the miraculous extraordinary abilities the Spirit granted to those apostles: the ability to speak in previously unfamiliar languages, to heal the sick miraculously, and to endure snake bites, flames, and other such torments.  Those unique powers were given to the apostles foremost to show their connection with Jesus.  Yet, those miraculous sings were not guaranteed to continue.  Indeed, the evangelists give no record of any of those signs continuing after the apostles were called out of this world.

But faith remains.  As does love and caring and kindness to strangers.  This really is God’s promise to all who believe, that His gift of the Spirit will change us.  It removes our stone-dead sinful, unbelieving hearts and grants us a living faith.  The gift of the Spirit moves us to have a sure and certain hope of everlasting life in heaven.  Whether we face blessings or hardship in this world, whether we have good health or approach the grave in sickness, we have a sure certainty that Jesus has prepared a place for us in His Father’s mansions and that He is working all things for our eternal good.  We remember His promise that He is with us, that He sends His  angels to protect and keep us, that the Father hears our prayers for Jesus’ sake, and that He knows our needs and provides for them before we even know what to ask.

We are baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.”  What this also means is that we are baptized into the name of our Savior and Lord.  We are baptized into a connection with Him that cannot be broken by our guilt nor be stolen by the devil’s deceits and accusations.  In Baptism, God puts His name upon us as a seal of His love.  That doesn’t mean we can sin freely nor ignore the dangers the devil imposes.  Rather, it opens the door to return to our Lord in every repentance freely given. 

Being baptized into Jesus’ name makes us the equivalent of the Prodigal Son in Jesus’ parable.  Though we often sin much, and sometime quite gravely, the Father in heaven remains ready and willing to receive us when His Spirit brings us to our senses and draws us back home in repentance.  Though we then deserve only servitude, the Father welcomes the repentant soul back into His household in loving forgiveness.  Therefore, whether we are repenting in private, fellow sinner to fellow sinner, or in a general confession as in our worship services, God the Father is rejoicing with the hosts of heaven over every sinner who repents and returns to trust in His love.

Another gift the Holy Spirit gives us in Baptism is the blessed ability to share God’s forgiveness with others.  Peter explained, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  God places no limits on His merciful kindness.  He puts no obstacles in the way for those He calls to believe.  When Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room, after His resurrection from the grave, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven.’” (John 20:22-23)  There is no age limit on either the upper or lower stage of life.  Infant baptism is equally as valid as a deathbed conversion and baptism. 

Every baptism relies on God’s mercy and grace, rather than in any merit or worthiness on the part of the person being baptized.  Baptism is God giving new life from above.  It is making the person a child of God, applying God’s name, and putting the Holy Spirit to work in that person’s life. 

What all this means is that through baptism, all of our sins are washed away and our guilt is forgiven.  It means we have peace with God.  We have His attention to our prayers.  Through the washing of water and the Word in baptism, we receive new life, new hope, new strength, and a new home in our Father’s eternal dwelling place.  In His peace, Baptism is the promise that blesses us.  Amen.

Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.